HIS 350R Domestic Slave Trade Spring 2020 The University of Texas at Austin Cross-listed AFR 374D

Dr. Daina Ramey Berry Email: [email protected] Phone: 512.471-4511 Office: Main Building 101 (The Graduate School Main Office) Office Hours: Mondays 10:00-12:00pm Class: Mondays 3:00pm-6:00pm Class Location: MEZ 1.216 Unique ID: HIS 38800 AFR 30745

Course Description: In the early 1830s slaveholders from all over the United States migrated to the southwest and settled in Texas. Here they purchased large lots of land and began cultivating cotton and sugar. When the Sanborn family made their way to Texas they brought their enslaved laborers with them. They had more than 700 acres in Matagorda County and the patriarch walked 203 enslaved people from Mississippi in 1853 to clear the land for cotton production. This journey was part of a larger traffic in human beings referred to as the Domestic Slave Trade. Like the invention of the cotton gin was to the expansion of slavery into western territories, the domestic slave trade represented “the lifeblood of the southern slave system” according to historian Steven Deyle. More than one million African Americans entered the domestic market and found themselves in coffles traveling by foot to various markets or were placed on boats and taken down the Mississippi River. Some traveled by ship along the Atlantic seaboard from port cities with large markets such as Charleston and Savannah. Others arrived via ships from the Gulf of Mexico and disembarked in ports like Galveston and Matagorda.

Course Objectives & University Flags: This course will explore the inner-workings of the domestic slave trade from the perspectives of enslavers, traders, and the enslaved. Students will have the opportunity to analyze maps, letters, diaries, newspaper advertisements, and legislation relating to the domestic slave trade. Rather than explore the extensive nature of trafficking in the United States, this semester we will focus on the experiences of those involved in trading in Texas and the Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. We will focus our learning on how enslaved people came to Texas by foot on the overland trail, via steamboats along rivers and on ships through the Gulf of Mexico. This course will take us deep into the family genealogies of enslavers, traders, merchants, and businessmen as well as the enslaved. In the process students will learn about geographical differences in the routes people traveled and students should complete the course with a good grasp of Texas History, slavery, and the business of slave trading in the Gulf South.

The class carries university approved Cultural Diversity (CD) and Writing (WR) flags that will aid in developing specific skills. The aim of courses with a CD flag is to expose students to the diversity of American culture through the study of marginalized populations. Given their chattel status, enslaved people are an ideal population to study. One objective of this course is to examine the ways African Americans were commodified and how they responded to being treated as products in the Domestic Slave Trade. Through the process of studying Domestic Slave Trade, students will develop research and writing skills. Finally, with the WR flag, students will have several (5) written assignments that involve peer and faculty review prior to the submission of final drafts. Some components to the WR flag include crafting short response papers, analyzing primary documents, and developing text for historical markers and advertisements. Students should complete this course with a variety of written skills and they should see an improvement in their writing over the semester.

This course contains sensitive content and students should respect the emotions and opinions of their colleagues during class discussions.

Grading Scale: Attendance and Participation 10% Census Essay 15% due 2/10/20 at 9am Newspaper Essay 5% due 3/9/20 at 9am Historical Marker Essay 10 due 3/30/20 at 9am Slave Narratives Essay 10% due 4/13/20 at 9am Runaway Essay 5% due 4/27/20 at 9am Primary Document Transcription and Analysis 10% TBD during Presentation Oral Presentation 10% Weeks 15-16 Final Digital Mapping Project 25% Friday May 8th at 12:00pm

Final Grade Distribution: A 94-100 A- 90-93 B+ 87-89 B 83-86 B- 80-82 C+ 77-79 C 73-76 C- 70-72 D+ 67-69 D 63-66 D- 60-62 F Below 60 points

Required Readings: Electronic readings will be distributed or placed on Canvas.

Johnson, Walter, ed. The Chattel Principle: Internal Slave Trades in the Americas. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005.

Tadman, Michael. Speculators and Slaves: Masters, Traders, and Slaves in the Old South. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1989.

Murphy, Lawrence R. and Ronnie C. Tyler, eds. The Slave Narratives of Texas. Buffalo Gap, TX: State House Press, 1997.

Campbell, Randoph B. ed., The Laws of Slavery in Texas: Historical Documents and Essays. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2010.

Recommended Readings:

Bancroft, Frederic. Slave Trading in the Old South. 1931. Reprint, Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1996.

Campbell, Stanley W. The Slave Catchers. Chapel Hill University of North Carolina Press, 1970.

Catterall, Helen Tunncliff, ed. Judicial Cases Concern American Slavery and the Negro, 5 vols. Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1926-37.

Deyle, Steven. Carry Me Back: The Domestic Slave Trade in American Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Gudmestad, Robert. A Troublesome Commerce: The Transformation of the Interstate Slave Trade. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2003.

Johnson, Walter. Soul by Soul: Life Inside the Antebellum Slave Market. New York: Harvard University Press, 2001.

Hadden, Sally. Slave Patrols: Law and Violence in Virginia and the Carolinas. New York: Harvard University Press, 2001.

Martin, Jonathan. Divided Mastery: Slave Hiring in the American South. New York: Harvard University Press, 2004.

Rothman, Adam. Slave Country: American Expansion and the Origins of the Deep South. New York: Harvard University Press, 2005.

Schermerhorn, Calvin. Money Over Mastery Family Over Freedom: Slavery in the Antebellum Upper South. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011.

Policies and Procedures:

University of Texas Honor Code The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.

Plagiarism The University's Institutional Rules (Section 11-802(d)) define plagiarism as including, "but not limited to, the appropriation of, buying, receiving as a gift, or obtaining by any other means material that is attributable in whole or in part to another source . . . and presenting that material as one's own academic work offered for credit." In other words, “handing in someone else's work and taking credit for it as if it were your own.” Source: History Department statement on Academic Integrity: http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/history/about/academic-integrity.php For examples of plagiarism see the site above or the Student Judicial Services Website.

Documented Disability Statement The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice) or 232-2937 (video phone) or http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd

Use of E-Mail for Official Correspondence to Students E-mail is recognized as an official mode of university correspondence; therefore, you are responsible for reading your e-mail for university and course-related information and announcements. You are responsible to keep the university informed about changes to your e-mail address. You should check your e-mail regularly and frequently—the university recommends daily, but at minimum twice a week—to stay current with university-related communications, some of which may be time-critical. You can find UT Austin’s policies and instructions for updating your e-mail address at: http://www.utexas.edu/its/policies/emailnotify.php

Email in recent years has often mistakenly become a substitute for office hours and students sometimes abuse email by the nature of their comments, requests, demands, and questions. This practice will not be tolerated.

Writing Center: I strongly encourage you to use the Undergraduate Writing Center, FAC 211, 471- 6222: http://www.uwc.utexas.edu/). The UWC offers free, individualized, expert help with writing for any UT undergraduate, by appointment or on a drop-in basis. These services are not just for writing that has "problems": Getting feedback from an informed audience is a normal part of a successful writing project. The UWC’s trained consultants work with students from every department on both academic and non-academic writing. Using methods that preserve the integrity of your work, they help you develop strategies to improve your writing and become a more independent writer. Whether you are writing a lab report, a resume, a term paper, a statement for an application, or your own poetry, UWC consultants will be happy to work with you.

Religious Holy Days By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.

Senate Bill 212 and Title IX Reporting Requirements. Under Senate Bill 212 (SB 212), the professor for this course is required to report for further investigation any information concerning incidents of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking committed by or against a UT student or employee. Federal law and university policy also requires reporting incidents of sex- and gender-based discrimination and sexual misconduct (collectively known as Title IX incidents). This means I cannot keep confidential information about any such incidents that you share with me. If you need to talk with someone who can maintain confidentiality, please contact University Health Services (512-471-4955 or 512-475-6877) or the UT Counseling and Mental Health Center (512-471-3515 or 512-471-2255). I strongly urge you make use of these services for any needed support and that you report any Title IX incidents to the Title IX Office.

Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL) If you are worried about someone who is acting differently, you may use the Behavior Concerns Advice Line to discuss by phone your concerns about another individual’s behavior. This service is provided through a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and The University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). Call 512-232-5050 or visit http://www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal

Emergency Evacuation Policy: Occupants of buildings on The University of Texas at Austin campus are required to evacuate buildings when a fire alarm is activated. Alarm activation or announcement requires exiting and assembling outside. Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of each classroom and building you may occupy. Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when entering the building. Students requiring assistance in evacuation shall inform their instructor in writing during the first week of class. In the event of an evacuation, follow the instruction of faculty or class instructors. Do not re-enter a building unless given instructions by the following: Austin Fire Department, The University of Texas at Austin Police Department, or Fire Prevention Services office.

The professor reserves the right to deviate or modify parts of this schedule. All changes will include advanced written notice.

Week 2 Monday 1/27/20 Course Introduction and an Overview of the Domestic Market

Readings: A. Rothman, Chpt.2 in Johnson Chattel Principle, pp.32-54

Week 3: Monday 2/3/20 Defining the Trade--Understanding the Market, Scope of the Trade

Readings: S. Deyle, Chpt.5 in Johnson Chattel Principle, pp.91-116 M. Tadman, Chpt. 6 in Johnson Chattel Principle, pp.117-142

Week 4: Monday 2/10/20 The Business of Slave Trading &Visual Representations

Readings: Census Essay Due

M. Tadman, Chpt.1 and Chpt.2, pp.3-46 Palm, Slavery in Macrocosm, Chpt. 1 and Chpt. 2 pp.

Week 5 Monday 2/17/20 Slave Trading Companies Film: “The Age of Slavery, 1800-1860”

Readings: M. Tadman, Chpt. 3, pp. 47-82 Palm, “Slavery in Matagorda,” Chapter 1and 2

Week 6 Monday 2/24/20 Identifying Individual Traders in TX Newspapers Primary Documents on Campus Guest: Rachel Winston, MLIS African Diaspora Archivist, Benson

Guest: Margaret Schlankey, Briscoe Readings: M. Tadman, Chpt. 4, pp. 83-108 Robbins, “… Development of the African Slave Trade in Galveston” in Canvas/Files

Week 7:

Monday 3/2/20 NO CLASS GROUP WORK DAY Group Research for final project and Historical Marker

Week 8: Monday 3/9/20 In-Class Group Work on Historical Marker and Map Discussion of Slavery in Texas Newspaper Essay Due

Readings: D. Berry, Chpt.3 in Johnson Chattel Principle pp. 55-71. Palm, Slavery in Matagorda Chapters 3 and 4

Week 9:

Monday 3/23/20 Ship Records Slave Trade & Legislation in TX

Readings: Palm, Slavery in Matagorda, Chapter 5 and Epilogue Campbell, The Law of Slavery in Texas, pp. 56-70

Week 10:

Monday 3/30/20 How did The Enslaved Respond? Slave Narratives Discussion Historical Marker Due

Readings R. Gudmestd, Chpt. 4 in Johnson, Chattel Principle, pp. 72-90. Murphy, Slave Narratives of Texas, Introduction – pp. 32

Week 11:

Monday 4/6/20 Rape and Resistance in the Domestic Slave Trade Runaway Advertisements

Readings Baptist, Chpt.8 in Johnson, Chattel Principle, pp. 165-202 P. Troutman, Chpt.9 in Johnson, Chattel Principle, pp. 203-233

Week 12:

Monday 4/13/20 Auction Block Experience Research at Briscoe or PCL Group Work Slave Narratives Essay Due

Readings: M. Tadman, Chpts. 5-8, pp. 111-224 Murphy, Slave Narratives of Texas, Chapt. 5 pp. 64-70

Week 13:

Monday 4/20/20 Mapping Slavery and the Domestic Trade in TX PCL Digital Media Lab Workshop

Week 14:

Monday 4/27/20 Mapping--Slave Trade Routes and Supplies Mapping—Slave Trade Experiences Runaway Essay Due

Week 15: Monday 5/4/20 Presentations & Class Conclusions